What! You don't have five minutes?

No phone calls here! 

A week before Christmas I gave a resident of an assisted living residence, located on Capitol Hill, in Seattle, a ride over to “Ya sure, Ballard” to buy some Scandinavian treats for anticipated family guests during Christmas.

As usual, after my always-early arrival at the home, I chewed up some time waiting and jawing with other residents until Anna was ready for our excursion.
After a bit she entered the parlor all decked out in her Norwegian reindeer sweater and matching toque, similar to the ones she might have worn as a child up north on the chilly Canadian/Minnesota border.

After our little shopping trip to Larsen’s Danish Bakery, and a small floral shop, she asked if I would take her to visit her daughter. I told her I had plenty of time and would be happy to take her for a visit. When she told me we were going to the huge cemetery in north Seattle we shared the balance of the journey in silence. When I entered the gates of the cemetery, that has been doing its business since 1884, she broke the silence to give me directions inside the sprawling landscape. She directed me to the large Lutheran mausoleum towards the eastern border of the grounds. I helped her out of the car and watched her walk to the door of the mausoleum. She stood at the door for a moment before returning to the car. When I asked her what was up she told me she had forgotten the combination. Though she now wanted to go home I convinced her that I could get the combination from someone in the administrative building located across a major four-lane racetrack that divides the memorial grounds.
After flashing two pieces of identification, one had to be photo ID; I was given the four-digit number. Off we went back to where we started from-
I cracked the door for her, helped her cut her flowers and position the flowers high up on the east wall above her daughters crypt.
Anna spent some time inside as I went out and waited in the car.

On the way back to the ‘retirement “ home Anna told me she has outlived her three children, her brother and sister and lots of other close relatives. I knew from previous conversations that her husband had died about twenty years ago when they were both spring seventy something year old chickens-
She told me about the scads of nieces and nephews, grand children, great grandchildren that were scattered all over the Northwest and parts further out.

I saw Anna again on Boxing Day.
She needed a lift to her doctor.
As is apparently our custom, I asked her about her Christmas. She told me she had not heard from one single relative.
Not one person took a few minutes to give her a call!
As I was sputtering some reaction she shared that a number of her “house mates” had mentioned they had not heard from any of their relatives either.
“I didn’t say anything. What would they all think I had done to deserve being ignored? I must be an old witch that no one would want to call.” She dryly sighed at me as we drove through the pouring rain to her doctor’s office.

Really, is everyone so darn busy there is no time left for those that need a moment of love, recognition, acknowledgement.
Well, your message has been received and it may not be the message you meant to send.
Think about it.
Is five minutes out of your life too much to give?

Oh, when I dropped Anna off she wanted to know if I wanted some of the cookies she had bought at Larsen’s.
I didn’t, but I took them anyway. 

M Barrett Miller

Let Kids Be Kids, Inc.

An Old Time Christmas

The 1920’s, in northeastern Montana, were not for the weak and pampered!

 Anna, aged 96, fondly recalls following her father as he drove the horses pulling the plow that allowed she and her sister to plant in the irregular grooves left behind. Wheat, wheat and more wheat along with cows, pigs, chickens, ducks and two small vegetable gardens that sustained the family and contributed a few coins to moms purse on market days were all they had in those days.

Survival and hard work were what made so many of our generations grandmothers so remarkable.

So many of their stories are left untold as few questions are asked by their kids and their kids kids kids…

In winter Anna took part in the endless canning of meat for the summer months. During winter, the freezing weather took care of keeping the meat safe to eat. During summer they canned everything they would need for winter. Canning took up a great deal of their time, as they had to stay a step ahead of the seasons and the needs of the growing family.

School took place in a one-room school that rotated from one ranch to another. It was very basic with an emphasis on reading.

No electricity, a coal fueled kitchen stove, a potbellied wood burner to keep the ice off the inside walls, two outhouses fifty yards down wind from the house were the high tech luxuries that held families together.

Christmas was a very special time of year for everyone within thirty miles of Anna’s home. About nine miles away from the ranch was a Lutheran church that had ministered to the many Norwegians who had accompanied her mom’s immigration twenty-four years before Anna’s arrival.

On Christmas all the families would dress in their best outfits and travel to the church in horse drawn sleighs or in glued together working automobiles belching out scary noises along the roadway. Families arrived early in the morning for a special service, play and program that focused on the kids. The church was gaily decorated with a huge Christmas tree garnished with candles burning brightly. Two men kept a close eye on the tree as well as replacing candles as they burned down.

Each child received one present. Usually the present was functional but occasionally a doll would show up instead of new boots, gloves, sweaters or trousers. Sometimes a boy would receive a pocketknife that spoke of his maturity to the assembled crowd or proud adults.

Food was traditional with every family offering cookies, pies, ham, chicken, duck, homemade wines, and liquors for all to enjoy. Anna recalls one Christmas when a family arrived with a huge crate recently arrived from Norway. Everyone gathered around it as it was opened. It was full of small hand made gifts, jellies, and canned treats for the whole community.

The midday meal was followed by games, song and dancing until everyone was tired or famished or both tired and famished.

As the day darkened a final meal was served which an emphasis on desserts, candied fruit and hard candies hidden for weeks from the kids by anxious moms. 

Everyone snuggled under a ton of blankets as they rode home. The horses had bells attached to their harnesses to ring out Christmas to the darkened snow covered fields bordering the road.

“Those were the best Christmases ever!”

M Barrett Miller

Let Kids Be Kids, Inc.

"Being the change they wish to see..."

Four Members of the Colombia team

Do you want to feel proud of our young people?

If you do, I’ve got the perfect suggestion.

Take a moment to look at what a number of teens are doing here and in communities overseas.

The YMCA Global Teen Leadership program recently held their awards and recognition ceremony for Seattle area teens that travelled last summer to Colombia, Senegal and to Japan.

 
The kids are part of a twelve-month program designed to “develop international understanding, leadership skills and cultural competency.”
These young people are not passive visitors to a country, they provide service work in the community they visit. Some worked on refurbishing a schoolhouse, some in areas devastated by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and some were working on a water project in Senegal.

The kids stayed with host families, travelled the countryside and interacted with kids their own age as much as possible.

At the recent ceremony it was inspiring to hear the kids talk about how their trip impacted them. They spoke emotionally about their host families, other kids they met in Colombia, Senegal and Japan, and how they helped raise the money to fund their team.
No one gets left behind if they are selected to participate on a team.
Its one for all and all for one!
Every student touched on how their involvement with the YMCA Global Leadership program has changed they way they look at their school work, their place in society and their ability to create change in the world.

Could we possibly ask for any more?

Thank you YMCA for the great work you’re doing with our young people.

* Present members of the Global Teen Leadership program are in the process of finalizing their commitments to participate in the “European Y Festival in Prague, Czech Republic, 1 August to 10 August 2013.
An anticipated 10,000 young people, from across the world, will travel to Prague to find commonality and community with other young people “being the change they want to see in the world.”
See www.yefestival.com for more information on the conference.

If you know a young person interested in Prague, Korea or Japanese Language for 2013...and for more countries in 2014 such as Senegal, and Colombia. See: http://www.seattleymca.org/Locations/Global/Pages/Home.aspx

Let Kids Be Kids, Inc. is committed to supporting this incredible opportunity for our kids-

Cappy's Boxing Gym - Building Confidence.

      At Cappy's Photo by M Barrett Miller

When I wandered into Cappy’s the other day I was slightly surprised to see a number of high school girls ripping thunderous hooks into heavy bags.
I shouldn’t have been surprised.
I knew better than to expect an all boys boxing club.

As I watched, neither the girls nor boys broke stride as they moved from the heavy bags to floor exercises. The floor exercise routine included jumping jacks, crunches; push ups and shadow boxing at their elevated feet while doing modified sit-ups.
A drill involving throwing five combinations at your partner, who fields the punches with a flat mitt, followed the exercise interlude.
This is how it goes for sixty minutes.
The kids rotate from station to station pounding away at bags, mitts, shadows, jumping, squatting, running in place, dancing, firing away punches and firing away punches.
I found I grew tired as I watched them, and I was sitting in a chair!!
They could have gone longer!

The next day I was back to watch a smaller group do what they had done the day before, but with a few added challenges to keep them on their toes.
Literally!
They rotated from pummeling a heavy bag to finesse punches setting up their “knock-out” shot.
Don’t kid yourself! A few of these kids could definitely bring stars to your eyes.
And, you know what?  They’re loving every moment of it.
Here, watch the video. It will give you a good sense of what’s going on at the gym.

Yesterday I enjoyed the opportunity to speak with Coach Mike Priebe. After a few comments about the routine and how the kids enjoy the challenges we got right down to it.
Confidence.
Mike, and the other coaches, help develop confidence in kids so they have that little extra internal “go to place” to support them when times get a little hectic.
Their minds and bodies get tuned to support their changing self-image.
Self-image is so important to kids developing through their teens.
A poor self-image leads too many kids down paths they probably wouldn’t take if they felt just a little better about themselves.
When kids have confidence in themselves they tend to lean back on the robes and take a longer view before throwing themselves into a decision.
Cappy’s is there to help-

Cappy’s Boxing Gym is doing some great work for a lot of kids in our communities.

Thanks Cappy!

M Barrett Miller
Let Kids Be Kids